Gear up for Ducks and Beavers game day with hearty new tailgate recipes

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Where did the summer go? It took until August for Oregon's warm weather to kick in, and now football season is on the horizon.

This Saturday, the Oregon Ducks have their home opener - they take on the Aggies of UC Davis. Meanwhile, Oregon State Beavers fans have to wait until Sept. 17 for their first home game against Idaho State.

The return of college football brings with it one of the best things about fall: tailgate parties. For hardcore Ducks and Beavers fans, celebrating home games with parking lot feasts is as much a part of game day as the game itself. It's the perfect excuse for firing favorite chili recipes, sloppy joes, and mountains of hot wings.

In the new cookbook "The Hungry Fan's Game Day Cookbook," food personality Daina Falk dishes up 165 recipes that are perfect for sports fans, whether they're loading up the trunk for a tailgate party or enjoying the game at home. Almost all of them are transportable, and some of her most-interesting dishes offer new twists on some of the classic.

Take Shepherd's Pie Quesadilla Bites, for example. This is a mash-up of Irish comfort food and a halftime standard-bearer. She says it was inspired by St. Patrick's Day and March Madness, but it's a perfect addition to football tailgaters, particularly as the weather turns chillier. The meat filling and the mashed potatoes can be prepared at home, then everything assembled on an electric griddle or on the grill at the party.

Another tailgate staple gets a Asian twist with Falk's Honey-Sriracha-Teriyaki Drumsticks. Initially, she came up with this tangy-sweet version as a way to reinvent Buffalo wings. But along the way she opted for more substantial drumsticks, which are meatier and easier to eat. You'll still need napkins, though - plenty of 'em.